Author Archives: Marty Ryan

The Oasis

I got friends in low places Where the whiskey drowns And the beer chases my blues away And I’ll be okay Yeah, I’m not big on social graces Think I’ll slip on down to the Oasis Friends in low places … Continue reading

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“I’ve had it!”

Since I was a young boy growing up in west-central Iowa, I have been a fan of several sports. Baseball has always been my favorite, and football has been a close second. Not anymore. After watching the Minnesota Vikings vs. … Continue reading

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Health System Problem? No, it’s an insurance problem

The Manhattan murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson lit a fire under many Americans who are furious with their insurance carriers and the cost of premiums and denial of coverage. Murder is not a respectful way to get a point … Continue reading

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Going to Kansas City

Occasionally, I will check local newspapers’ obituaries from around the part of Iowa where I grew up. Unfortunately, I read an obituary in the Denison, Iowa, newspaper about a friend from the time we both worked at Farmland Foods in … Continue reading

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Guns and Butter

A version of this blog was previously published in the November 2024 issue of the Prairie Progressive Campaign strategist Jim Carville coined the phrase “[It’s] the economy, stupid” back in 1992 when he worked on Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign. “His … Continue reading

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Blue-ribbon Caramels

After my mother passed away, my brother-in-law created a flipped-page collection of some of mom’s best/favorite recipes that she often made. I noticed a mistake in the recipe for caramels (Mom’s mistake, not Ron’s). I realized that instead of 325º … Continue reading

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